DREAMS of a fairytale finish were dashed for AP McCoy today, as the Champion jockey finished the fourth and final day of his very last Cheltenham Festival with no further winners.

Going on the course changed from Good to Good to Soft after five millimetres of rain fell overnight, and it was still falling heavily this morning; but this didn’t put off the punters who headed to the Prestbury Park course in their thousands, hoping to see history in the making.

The first race, The JCB Triumph Hurdle, saw Nicky Henderson bring in a 1-2-3 when Peace And Co led home Top Notch and Hargam.

It was Henderson’s second winner of this year’s Festival, following Call The Cops’ victory in the Pertemps Network Final yesterday.

Said Henderson: “You never dreamt that all three would come to the last together, though. They’ve never worked together, you wouldn’t do it - they’re three different horses.”

Trainer Willie Mullins recorded a record-equalling seventh victory of this year’s Festival when Wicklow Brave stormed to victory in the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle by an easy eight lengths.

“He’s not really had any proper runs this season and hence was on a favourable mark coming in here,” said Mullins. “It’s fantastic for Paul [Townend – jockey] – I’m delighted for him.”

And it was a first Festival winner for trainer Mags Mullins when Martello Tower, ridden by Adrian Heskin, finished victorious in the prestigious Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

The 14/1 shot got into a protracted battle with the Gigginstown House Stud-owned pair Milsean (ridden by Mullins’ son Danny) and No More Heroes approaching the last, but dug deep to repel the challenge of the former to record a half-length victory in a slow-motion finish.

Mullins, who was married to trainer Willie Mullins’ brother Tony (also a trainer), was ecstatic after the race.

“It’s brilliant – I’m so delighted!” she said.

However the big race of the day was The Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase, and hopes were high that Olveston-born Paul Nicholls would become the joint most successful trainer in Gold Cup history if Silviniaco Conti or Sam Winner won.

But the Gods of Racing were not smiling on Nicholls today and the 3/1 favourite finished seventh.

Said Nicholls: “Noel (Fehily) wasn’t really sure why he did not perform better.

“The ground might have been deep enough for him - I don’t think he travelled in it as he was on and off the bridle a little bit. I think the ground was a bit more testing than we thought and he was not enjoying it.

“No excuses really. I know that he has had a good prep and everything was right. He’s not the biggest in the world and you would have to say, watching that, he needs a flatter track or better ground.” Sam Twiston-Davies, who partnered Sam Winner, the other Nicholls-trained runner (pulled up), said: “I could not believe the gallop they went and the winner kept going all the way.”

Once all the excitement of the Gold Cup was over, the jockeys still had work to do and On The Fringe made it third time lucky by winning today’s pinnacle of hunter chasing, the St James’s Place Foxhunter Chase.

The runner-up was 50/1 shot Following Dreams, who is trained near Ludlow by Alistair Ralph. The horse was due to be ridden by Tom Weston until he suffered two punctured lungs in a fall at The Festival yesterday, and Sam Drinkwater deputised.

Killultagh Vic’s triumph in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle was trainer Willie Mullins’ eighth win of the 2015 Festival and set a new record of training wins at the meeting; overtaking Nicky Henderson’s record of seven, set in 2012.

Commenting on his achievement of setting a new training record for The Festival, Mullins said: “We’ve brought over lots of horses, but it’s so hard and so competitive here, it’s unbelievable. But we’ve had a fantastic spring and didn’t have any issues with any of the horses, who have been able to have a great preparation, and it’s all working out now. It’s fantastic.”

A P McCoy was out of luck in his final race at The Festival as a jockey, the A P McCoy Grand Annual Handicap Chase (for the Johnny Henderson Trophy), as his mount, Ned Buntline, could only finish fourth behind 16/1 winner Next Sensation.

Commenting on the fact that A P McCoy finished fourth in the race on what was his final Festival ride, Next Sensation’s trainer Michael Scudamore said: “A P is an absolute legend and we’ll never see the likes of him again. It would have been a lovely story if he’d won this – I’ve just glad he didn’t finish second. We wouldn’t have been very popular if he had, I think!”

And while there was a sense of disappointment that McCoy did not end on a winner, the crowd cheered him all the way back to weighing-in. Never has the final-race at any Festival drawn such a vast crowd to the winner’s enclosure.

“I feel I’m a very lucky person to have done what I’ve done and to have the life I’ve had,” said McCoy.

“It’s a privilege to live my life through my hobby. I’ll never forget the reception I’ve been given today – it is people like this I’m going to miss.”

Following this race the Betbright Cup was given to Nicky Henderson on behalf of Great Britain, which headed Ireland 14 to 13 in numbers of winners at The Festival.